There are two types of people on this earth: Those that get Back Porch Mary and those that don’t. When it comes to this band it really is that simple. There are no middle of the road fans out there. Back Porch Mary fans are a very dedicated, very interesting lot. They come from every walk of life, age group, and background. There isn’t a neat little bow you can tie them all up with. This is probably because there isn’t a neat little bow you can tie the music of Back Porch Mary up with. The fact that a genre doesn’t exist in the music business to contain them has been an issue for the entire life of the band.
The first Back Porch Mary show was played on May 17th 1993 at a fraternity party in Hays, Kansas. The show was shut down by local law enforcement and 38 people were arrested. This was very indicative of how things would go for Back Porch Mary over the next two decades. The band was founded by Mike Krug a native of Russell, Kansas. From the time he picked up a guitar at 15 he has been driven to write and perform music. Mike formed the first incarnation of Back Porch Mary with a few other music majors at Fort Hays State University in early 1993. This first band was loud and brash, leaning heavily on the rock, punk, and metal aspects of music that led Mike to the guitar in the first place. The band then relocated to Manhattan, Kansas in the fall of 1995. At this point the line-up solidified with fellow Kansans Jeremie Krehbiel on drums, and Monty Black on bass guitar. You might recognize the name Monty Black from the “Time of the Broken Heart” liner notes. He continues to write songs with Mike and remains a “shadow” member of the band to this day. The band recorded one CD of the songs written during this era. The CD entitled “Gather” was released by a start up fly by night outfit that called themselves a label. The CD sold well to the band’s fans in Kansas, but the world was calling and Mike wasn’t about to sit around and wait. Another very important thing happened in Manhattan, Kansas during Mike’s time there. He met and became friends with guitarist Slim Laurence and bassist Joe Miller. Slim and Joe had been playing in a honky tonk band that was based in Manhattan. Joe had just obtained his first upright bass, and they would all sit around and play music together in the back of a store called The Music Company. They would talk about forming a band playing what Slim called “Power Tonk”. However, that would have to wait. Slim and Joe had their band, and Mike had Back Porch Mary. In an odd twist of fate, both outfits decided independently to relocate to the city of Austin, Texas. They all moved to Austin in the fall of 1997.
The best way on earth to get a band to break up is to try and relocate that band. This proved extremely true in the case of Back Porch Mary. Within two weeks of arriving, the Kansas version of Back Porch Mary disbanded. Mike was forced to start from scratch in a city where he knew exactly two people, Joe Miller and Slim. For a while, Joe would fill in on the bass for whatever version of Back Porch Mary Mike could get together for a show in Austin. Slim would come and support the band, and Mike would go and watch Joe and Slim play with their newly formed honky tonk outfit around Austin. Then one night, Mike asked Slim to just play guitar at a Back Porch Mary show in Jonestown, Texas. Slim had never rehearsed with the band and didn’t really know the songs, but it didn’t matter. The seed was planted for what Back Porch Mary would become. Oddly enough, Joe wasn’t playing bass for the band that night. It would take a couple of more years to get Joe in the band, but once he threw his lot in with his old friends, Back Porch Mary as the world knows it came into existence. The band played their first show with Slim, Joe, and Mike on December 30th, 2001 in Mike’s hometown of Russell, Kansas.
The band went into the studio and recorded their first self-titled CD that was released in 2002. The band immediately hit the road as hard as it could playing with a revolving door of drummers. This is when the band started to garner its reputation as a must see live band. They played anywhere and everywhere they could traveling thousands of miles and making insane overnight drives. The music was also taking shape. The creed became that the band would play whatever it wanted. They had no intentions of sticking to one particular style. They wrote songs and forged their own sound over time. They never cared to fit into any category. They just wanted to play good music no matter what genre it may or may not fit into. The first CD leaned very heavily towards the rock side of things. This was a disappointment for the band. They all love honky tonk and country music, and they felt that the first CD didn’t represent that side of them at all. So, in typical Back Porch Mary fashion, they built their own studio and recorded an all acoustic CD entitled “Honest Hands”. This was a drastic departure from the first record and left many people scratching their heads. The fact was, the band loves acoustic music like bluegrass and continues to explore this style heavily to this day. The band continued to tour as much as possible building up a cult like following across the Midwest and South. This spawned a whole new aspect of the band called the Back Porch Mary Street Team. These people were and continue to be the very lifeblood of the band. The band slept on their floors, ate their food, and counted on them to help promote the shows in whatever town they happened to live in. There was no budget or money for advertising, so these people made little Back Porch Communities all over the country. Many of these people have become very dear, lifelong friends of the band, and the Back Porch Mary family continues to thrive.
After releasing the live CD “The Last Rock Show”, the band was really in need of that fourth member to make them a complete band. They needed a solid drummer that they could count on like they had always counted on each other. Enter Ryan Kyle, the only native Texan in Back Porch Mary. Ryan sat down behind the drums and made it his band. Finally, after years of searching, the band was finally complete. Ryan is a bit younger than the rest of the guys, and it was really fun for them to take him out on his first tours. With Ryan behind the kit off they went playing countless shows from coast to coast.
Finally, after much time and a lot of touring the band entered the studio to work on the CD that would become “Time of The Broken Heart”. The band felt that it had the songs and the experience to do their best work. They worked hard for almost a year on this one, mainly because they had to cram recording in between tours. The record did well and reached number 33 on the national Americana charts. The record also received more radio play and sold more units than any of the previous BPM efforts.
The band is currently working on their latest record and their first as a three piece band. The CD is being produced by long time BPM friend Paul Soroski and recorded at Walrus Studios in Austin, Texas. The album will be released on July 19th 2011.

It would be nice if BPM would release a new CD. The new songs a the live shows are great!

Back Porch Mary 06/29/2009

Bill

Their CDs and live shows are great. I highly recommend BPM.

Back Porch Mary 07/07/2008

Chris

How Rodger,
How's your jeep running? I knew this was going to happen. Your jeep driving club is just out of hand. If anyone wants to know, they played a party for the Banged Up Off Road Club that is based new Seguin. Yes, that is their real name. They run over things with jeeps and park their jeeps on top of other jeeps. It's really dumb. Anyhow, BPM played a party, and they band played for three hours solid. The Banged Up Jack Off Club claimed they quit 15 minutes early and went crazy on the band. So, naturally when they played Seguin someone from the club was going to say something. The fact is, the band was contracted to play from 9:30 to 11:30. They did this.
This was the Thursday night show, and I believe it had to end by 11:30 for sound ordinance reasons. You people really need to let this thing go. Go drive your jeeps over little hills and park them on top of eachother.

Back Porch Mary 07/07/2008

Rodger

I saw you guys out at Freedom Fiesta on Thursday Night. The Music was OK but wanted to know why you guys quit so early? All other nights the bands played til closing. It apeared you did not care to please the small crowd that stayed around. Showed a lack of appreciation on your part.

Back Porch Mary 06/20/2008

Heiko Wester, Netherlands

I was painting my house when mr. postman came down with the regular stuff and a brown envelope from my friends in Texas.
Yes, Back Porch Mary, wow I went in the house just for a quick listning. Very great music, but the painting is waiting. In the evening and the next days the tracks are growing. It's amazing, I just can't stop listning. I don't understand why the tracks are coming soon at Lonestar. I listned at MySpace, six tracks I think and they were exciting!
Six stars!!

Back Porch Mary 06/13/2008

JP

Great album. The songs have real depth and musically one of the best albums I've ever heard!

Back Porch Mary 06/13/2008

JP

Dear Michael, I could give two squirts how you review the band. Good or Bad doesn't matter to me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, my point was it's not necessary to keep coming back here. That's not reviewing, it's a personal attack on the band and is void of any real unbiased critique (good or bad) which is what this board is meant for. Like I said, we get it that you don't like these guys, but is it necessary to make it your life's mission to tear these guy's down. Please read and digest someone's comments before responding to them. Otherwise you sound ignorant when you respond.
Have a grand life.
JP

Back Porch Mary 06/12/2008

Scott

Great CD!

Back Porch Mary 06/12/2008

Scott

They did play six by my count. One was "City of New Orleans", which BPM has definitely put their stamp on and put it on their live album. "Sixteen Tons" which I have never heard anyone cover was another. Slim did his version of "Lay You Down", which I don't think counts either, because Slim wrote the words. They played a killer version of "He Stopped Loving Her Today". They played "Hottest Thing in Town", and "Copperhead Road" which was by request. Michael wasn't at the show at all period. If he was he would have named all those cover songs that they supposedly played. I was in the crowd. They played for almost three hours and didn't take a break. Every band on this scene does covers. It's not a bad thing. The crowd can find out a bit about what inspires the band, and get their take on it. I don't think that a handful of covers in a three hour show is excessive. Now, here are a few of the Back Porch Mary songs that they played:
I Won't Look Back At You
The Girl
This Band
Proud Highway
Never Was
That Song
On Her Heart
Carpe Diem
Harsh Light of Day
Death in California
Other End of The Road
Sing You A Song
Far Far Away
Watching and Waiting
We are the Broken Hearted
700 Miles Ago
Requiem
Rolling In Low
Honest Hands
Never Be Your Man
She's Crying
Whiskey
Those are just the ones I can remember. I drove in from Houston for the show and it was worth the gas money, the hotel, and the money I spent on beer. There were a lot of people at the show and we had a great time. Michael/Crystal can go see another band.

Back Porch Mary 06/12/2008

Another Michael

It seems to me that there are only two people "hating", but a very vocal two.

To quote Marge Simpson, "I guess one person can make a difference. But most of the time, they probably shouldn't."